Folding chicken-coop.



P. W. KOESTERS. FOLDING CHICKEN COOP. APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1910,

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDRICK W. KOESTERS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FOLDING CHICKEN-COOP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRIoK W. Kons TERS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State ofMissouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding Chicken-Coops, of which the following is a specification. 7

This invention relates to a coop for poultry, the coop being of thattype which can be folded into a small space when it is to be shippedback from the market or to be stored away.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a comparativelysimple, inexpensive and durable coop of this character which can beeasily and conveniently set up or knocked down, and which is of suchdesign that all the parts are permanently attached so that there is nodanger of the parts being lost.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a coop composed ofside, end and top frames of novel design and hingedly connected togetherto the bottom of the coop so that when the coop is folded it will beperfectly flat.

With these objects in view, and others as will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully describedhereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appendedhereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrates one embodiment of theinvention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the coop set up for use.Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof folded. Fig. 3 is a side view of thefolded coop.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts through the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the bottom of the coop which ispreferably, although not necessarily, a wooden plate or board stiffenedby cross pieces or cleats 2. Secured to the ends of the bottom 1 areend. frames A and B, and attached to these end frames is a top frame Cand side frames D, the top and side frames being so connected with theend frames that they can fold Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 15, 1910.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910. Serial No. 555,712.

downwardly in a direction longitudinal of the coop so as to lie close toand parallel with the bottom 1.

The end frame A consists of symmetrically disposed or inwardly inclinedcorner pieces 3 which have their lower ends con nected by hinges 4 withthe ends of the bottom plate 1 at the corners thereof, and thesestandards or corner pieces 3 are connected together and held in spacedrelation by horizontal slats or bars 5 which close the end of the coop.

The frame A is preferably provided with a door 6, of any approvedconstruction, that closes an opening 7 in the said frame, the door beingadapted to swing on hinges 8 and is locked closed by a hasp 9 engaging astaple 10. The inner edges of the members 3 are provided with serrationsso as to present a plurality of vertically disposed hearing faces 11 forthe purpose of connecting therewith the side bars or slats 12 which formthe side frames D of the coop. The slats 12 are disposed parallel witheach other and one above another and stepped inwardly from a verticalplane so that the sides of the coop will be upwardly and inwardlyinclined. The front ends of the slats 12 are connected with the endframes by bolts or rivets 13 that extend from the slats and cornermembers 3 of the front end frame so as to form pivotal connectionbetween the side frames and side slats 12.

The rear end frame B is composed of two upstanding members 14 that formthe corner pieces of the end frame, and secured to these corner piecesare horizontally spaced slats 15. The outer edges of these corner piecesare stepped or serrated to provide bearing pieces 16 for the rear endsof the side slats 12, the latter being connected with the rear end frameby horizontal pivots in the form of bolts 16 which pass through the endsof the side slats and corner pieces 14:. The rear end frame B isconnected with the bottom 1 by hinges 17 secured to the bottom 1 andlower ends of the members 14 of the end frame, the hinges being locatedat the inside of the end frame so that the latter can swing inwardly anddownwardly against the bottom 1 of the coop while the front end frameswings downwardly and outwardly beyond the front end of the bottom 1 ofthe coop.

The top frame C comprises parallel slats 18, all of which except themiddle one are secured to end pieces 19 and a middle piece 20. The frontend piece 19 is disposed under the slats 18 of the frame and secured toand disposed between the top side slats l2, and a single rod or bolt 21passes through the corner members 3 of the front frame, the front endsof the top side slats and the front end piece of the top frame so thatthe top frame will be pivotally connected with the top of the front endframe. The rear end piece 19 of the top frame extends between the upperends of the corner members 14 of the rear frame, and a single rod orbolt 22 passes through the rear ends of the top side slats, the upperends of the corner pieces 14 and end member 19, so that the rear end ofthe frame will be pivotally connected at its rear end to the frame B.

The middle slat 23 of the top frame is adapted to be removable so thatchickens can be placed into the coop at the top. The ends of the slat 23slide in staples or loops 24: on and projecting from the end pieces 19,and the slat is held in place by the projection 25 on one of the slats18 engaging in a recess 26 in the adjacent edge of the removable slat orgate element 23, interlocking relation of the projection with the recessbeing maintained by a bowed spring 27 secured to the edge of the slat 23oppo site from that having the recess, so that the middle portion of thespring can be brought into sliding engagement with the adjacent fixedslat 18 of the top frame. In order to release the slat or gate element23 it is moved longitudinally so as to release one end from the loop orstaple that holds it and during this sliding movement the slat rides onthe projection 25 while the spring 27 is compressed, and as soon as oneend of the slat 23 leaves its retaining loop 24, the released end of theslat can be raised sufficiently to clear the loop and then movedlongitudinally in a direction to release the opposite end of the slatfrom its retaining loop or staple 24. By providing this opening on thetop frame the chickens can be readily placed into or removed from thecoop without danger of any chickens escaping. The front gate or door canbe used also for taking out or removing chickens especially when thecoops are piled one on top of the other.

The coop is locked in set-up position by means of brace rods 28 thathave their upper ends hingedly connected at 29 to the rear side of theupper ends of the corner pieces 3 of the front frame, and the lower endsof the brace rods are bent into hooks 30 for engaging eyes or staples 31on the bottom 1 adjacent the middle thereof, the hooks engaging the eyesor staples from the outside. The hooks are locked in place by turnbuttons 32 or latches pivoted to the outside of the bottom side slats 12so that the said buttons or latches can be turned down to engage overthe lower end of the brace rods 28 to prevent the hooks thereof fromworking out of the eyes or staples 31. hen the coop is knocked down orfolded the brace rods are disconnected from the bottom 1 and then thecoop is folded, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to fasten the brace rods soas to be out of the way they are engaged under the hooks 33 on the crosspiece of the top frame and the hooks of the brace rods are engaged inthe eyes or staples 31 projecting from the sides of the slat 18 of thetop frame. When the coop is folded, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sideslats 12 will lie flat against the bottom 1, and the rear frame B willalso be disposed flat against the bottom 1 and occupy a position betweenthe rear ends of the side slats. The front ends of the side slats willbe disposed within the front frame A which is disposed parallel with thebottom 1 but projecting from the end thereof. The top frame B will liebetween the two groups of the side slats which form the side frames ofthe coop. A coop constructed in this manner will be readily folded orunfolded and is of durable and substantial design.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method ofoperation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to whichthe invention relates, and while I have described the principle ofoperation of the invention, together with the device which I nowconsider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that suchchanges may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Astructureof the class described comprising a bottom, an outwardly anddownwardly swinging frame having upwardly and inwardly inclined members,an inwardly and downwardly swinging end frame having spaced members,slats pivoted at their ends to the inner faces of the members of thefirst frame and to the outer faces of the members of the second frame, atop frame having its ends hingedly connected to the end frames, bracerods hingedly connected with one of the end frames and detachablyconnected with the bottom of the coop, and a .clevice mounted on thebottom slat at one side of the structure and movable into and out ofengagement with the brace rods for holding the latter connected withsaid bottom.

2. A structure of the class described comprising end frames havingspaced members, slats extending from one frame to the other and havingtheir ends engaging the outer.

faces of the members of one frame and the inner faces of the otherframe, a top frame 10 having its ends set in between the upper ends ofthe said members, and bolts extending entirely across the structure forhingedly connecting each end of the top frame with the members of theend frames.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 15 in presence of twowitnesses.

FREDRICK W. KOESTERS. Vitnesses:

JOHN H. KOESTERs, LAURENCE R. RUEVE.

